going over the fiscal cliff is serious business. i am here seriously trying to resolve it and i would hope the white house would get serious as well. >> based on the meeting with secretary geithner or your phone call with president obama 09 -- obama side, can you tell us something about that phone call? >> we had a very nice conversation last night. it was direct and straightforward. but the assessment i give you today would be a product of both of those conversations. >> how much would you be open to the idea of discretionary spending cuts as far as a down payment to get to a long-range solution on entitlements? >> there are a lot of options on the table, including that one. >> you are acknowledging that there will. >> the day after the election, i came here and i made it clear that republicans would put revenue on the table as a way to begin to move the process to get this resolved. >> right, so my question is what message do you have for people who are in the negotiating position or believe that it is inevitable that you have to